Discrimination: Person who is transgender tortured in Cantt

Sunny went to perform at marriage ceremony when she was attacked

PESHAWAR: A person who is transgender was tortured during a marriage ceremony in Cantt on Saturday.

According to the police, Sunny went to perform at Defence Marriage Hall. While she was at the hall, an armed man, identified as Bombar Khan, reached the site and brutally tortured her. He also tried to kidnap her. However, she screamed therefore others, who were present at the hall, managed to protect her.

A rights activist, Qamar Naseem, told The Express Tribune Bombar has been a “permanent nuisance” for the transgender community in the city.

“Sunny is terrified,” he said. “She does not want to go to the police station and register an FIR against him as previously those who went to the police station were fined by [Bombar].”

“You will see [Bombar] armed with multiple AK-47s at a time as he carries two in both hands and one hangs from his shoulder,” Naseem added. “He is a nightmare for these poor people.”

According to Naseem, the transgender community is really disappointed as those who attacked them in the past have yet to be arrested.

Earlier on July 5, Kotwali police arrested Osman, a resident of Momin Town, for trying to set ablaze the house of Arzo, a person who is transgender. The incident took place in Ghanta Ghar in
the city.

On June 13, a transgender person was killed after being shot multiple times for allegedly resisting sexual advances of a group of armed men who barged in to her house in Mansehra.

The shooting incident sparked unrest among the transgender community which took to the streets to condemn the murder and criticised the police for not providing them with security.

In May, transgender activist Alesha was killed in the city after she was shot multiple times.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2016.